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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/25738432">the correlation between hearts and outer space</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/loveletter_from_space/pseuds/Lola'>Lola (loveletter_from_space)</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Mystic Messenger (Video Game)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Abduction, Angst, Another Story (Mystic Messenger), Developing Friendships, Emotional/Psychological Abuse, Eventual Happy Ending, F/M, Family Issues, Female Main Character (Mystic Messenger), Hostage Situations, Hurt/Comfort, Memes, Mental Health Issues, Mutual Pining, Romance, Unrequited Crush, lots of space references</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-08-06</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-08-11</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-05 02:15:00</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Mature</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>15,406</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/25738432</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/loveletter_from_space/pseuds/Lola</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Her parents had warned her of the dangers of video games and strange men many times. If she had listened, maybe she wouldn't have ended up abducted and held hostage by a religious cult. Then again, luck had never really been on her side.</p><p>---</p><p>A re-telling of Another Story in which MC falls for Seven and things get... complicated. This is a mix-and-match of several different routes, after endings and my own ideas. Canon-typical violence and similar dark themes ahead.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>707 | Choi Luciel/Main Character, Choi Saeran &amp; Main Character</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>9</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>25</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Prologue</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Hi, I'm Lola!</p><p>Ever since playing both V and Ray's routes, I wondered: how would that play out if MC fell for Seven instead? So this is a fic born out of curiosity about that and a desire to deeply explore complex topics like family trauma and emotional abuse. I'm even thinking about a sequel because I don't want to cram everything I'd like to write into one fic. Can you tell I've been planning this for a long time, lol.</p><p>Spoilers for: all routes, secret endings, after endings, etc. Just... the whole game. However, my story doesn't follow the plot of Another Story that closely, of course, since MC isn't going to end up together with Ray or V in this one.</p><p>This fic WILL have canon-typical violence and dark themes, including mentions of suicide, childhood abuse, dysfunctional families, mental illness, alcohol and drug abuse, etc. Emotional and physical abuse in the context of MC being trapped at Mint Eye and Ray being taken advantage of will be a central topic. But the fic will also have lots of happy moments and humor, just like the game.</p><p>Please enjoy!</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p> </p>
<p></p><div class="window">
  <p class="topbar"> </p>
  <p class="textfield"><b>From:</b> career@sky.ca.kr</p>
  <p class="textfield"><b>To:</b> songminji@sky.ca.kr</p>
  <p class="textfield"><b>Subject:</b> Game Tester (Temporary)</p>
</div><div class="ebody">
  <p>Are you highly motivated and passionate about video games? We are a new mobile game studio looking for a temporary game tester. This is an entry level role and no prior experience is required!</p>
  <p>Game testers at our studio are responsible for play-testing a work-in-progress mobile game involving AI, finding bugs/glitches and accurately reporting everything to the game developer. The ideal candidate is a university student with excellent communication and problem solving skills. You will play a key role in maximizing the quality of our game!</p>
  <p>The anticipated duration of the assignment varies. The work is strictly confidential.</p>
  <p><b>Responsibilities:</b><br/>
Executing test plans on pre-release versions of software<br/>
Assessing product functionality<br/>
Documenting product defects for development team review<br/>
Collaborating on miscellaneous test process related tasks</p>
  <p><b>Requirements:</b><br/>
Excellent written and verbal communication<br/>
Ability to work independently<br/>
Flexible schedule<br/>
Non-disclosure agreement<br/>
Must be able to stay at the housing provided by the studio for the duration of the assignment</p>
  <p>Fill in our application form HERE.</p>
  <p>Human Resources Team<br/>
Magenta Studios</p>
</div><p> </p>
<hr/><p> </p><p>Entering Director Jeong’s office was like stepping into a stifling cocoon. The director himself was partly at fault – he always radiated a sullen aura – but the atmosphere was made all the worse by the room’s effective soundproofing; the only audible sounds were the click-clack of the director’s keyboard as he typed and the hum of the desktop computer. Giant windows lined the wall, revealing a stunning view over the city… and letting in all of the scorching morning sun.</p><p>Minji began to sweat in her dress shirt and pants as soon as she entered the room. Gross. Of course the office’s AC had had to break down right in the middle of the most ruthless heatwave Seoul had ever seen in her lifetime. How Director Jeong could stand the stuffy room for ten to twelve hours a day was beyond her understanding.</p><p>“Good morning, Director Jeong,” she greeted politely with a smile. “I brought the documents you requested.”</p><p>Director Jeong barely acknowledged her as he continued typing furiously. Minji’s smile became more and more strained with each second that passed by. <em>Sure, I have all the time in the world for Mister Big Shot here. </em>She had picked up a habit of badmouthing the director in her mind whenever she had to interact with him. It was one of those small joys that made life worth living. Or at least bearable.</p><p>After a minute that felt like eternity Director Jeong finally turned to her. He looked almost surprised to find her standing there even though he had invited her in. “Ah, miss Song. I was expecting you sooner. I have something for you…” His voice trailed off as he leafed through a stack of documents on his desk, as if he had not just casually reprimanded Minji instead of greeting her. She was getting used to it by now, though, and suppressed the urge to roll her eyes.</p><p>“Here it is,” he said and pulled a paper from the document stack. He looked it over once and offered it towards Minji. “Your one week notice.”</p><p><em>Wait, what? </em>Her train of thought pulled the emergency brake and crashed and burned. The freshly printed papers she’d been holding scattered all over the floor and she was left staring at Director Jeong like he’d spoken in an alien language.</p><p>Once it became apparent that Minji was not going to take the offered letter, he set it back down on the desk. “We’ve decided that your probation period will be terminated effective next Monday. This is your one week notice, all according to the terms and conditions of your contract.”</p><p>Minji could not stop a desperate “no” escaping her lips. Director Jeong seemed disgruntled with the mess she had created and equally surprised at being told <em>no</em> by an employee he had just fired. “Pardon?”</p><p>Shame came flooding in. Minji could feel a blush creeping up her neck to her cheeks. Not knowing what else to say or do, she quickly kneeled down in order to gather the scattered papers as well as the pieces of her shattered composure. She felt humiliated to be cowering behind the director’s desk as he was in the process of firing her and kept her gaze firmly downcast to avoid making eye contact.</p><p>Some of the papers had slipped under the desk and lay by Director Jeong’s feet clad with polished, expensive-looking dress shoes. Minji had to give up. She wasn’t going to crawl on all fours in front of the director, even if she did want to cry and beg for him to let her keep her job.</p><p>She did her best to pull herself together before standing up and wiping some dust off her dress pants, slightly out of breath for no other reason than her stressed-out heart trying to beat its way of her chest. “I’m so sorry,” she apologized with a bow, clutching the messy paper stack tightly with both hands.</p><p>“…Very well,” Director Jeong eventually said, though his dissatisfaction was made evident by the frown on his face. “As I was saying, following reviews of your work and feedback from Senior Manager Park, it seems your performance is unsatisfactory. We, as a company, pride ourselves on always giving it our all. I have not seen the same dedication in you.”</p><p>Minji’s chest felt tight, as if a heavy weight had been placed on top of it. In a way, she had expected to be let go sooner or later after receiving several warnings by her manager in the last month. Yet she’d worked harder than ever before to try and make up for the shortcomings her superiors had seen in her and, in a surprising act of benevolence, her manager had even said that she’d improved.</p><p>“May I ask… what sort of feedback?” Minji tried to keep her voice as neutral as possible, but the question did not please Director Jeong. He looked annoyed as he regarded her from head to toe. Minji suddenly felt like an ant about to be crushed under his foot.</p><p>“I have received complaints,” he said gravely and leaned forward as if to seem even more intimidating, “of your poor work ethic and tendency to disrupt other employees’ work. I have personally seen you use your phone during work hours. Are you not aware that company time is for working, not your personal business, miss Song?”</p><p>Minji blinked, at a loss for words. The director looked self-satisfied and was obviously proud of catching a young employee off guard. Minji wasn’t taken aback by the truth of his claim, however; rather, she was shocked because it was <em>not true.</em></p><p>“Director Jeong, with all due respect,” she said, unable to just let it slide though she wanted to kick herself as soon as she heard how disrespectful she really sounded. “I have <em>never</em> used my phone for personal business during work hours. When did this happen?”</p><p>Director Jeong leaned back in his black leather chair, stalling. Minji got the feeling that he had not expected for her to object. “Last week,” he replied with a poker face. “The exact date and time of day is not important.”</p><p>“That cannot be,” Minji argued, gripping the documents in her hands so tight that her nails were sure to leave marks on the paper. She was aware that she was digging her own grave deeper and deeper but couldn’t stop. “I had issues with my phone, so I took it in for repairs last Monday. On Thursday I had to leave early because I felt unwell, and I did not come in at all on Friday. I got my phone back on Saturday, so it’s impossible for me to have used my phone at work last week, sir.”</p><p>The director’s face darkened with every word she spoke. He obviously did not appreciate being called out on a lie when he was trying to unfairly sack an employee. “In that case, it must have been the week before. I’m a busy man, I don’t have time to pay attention to such insignificant details.”</p><p>“It is important to <em>me</em>, sir,” Minji insisted. She was actually getting mad now. As she had suspected, the director’s justification for her dismissal was nothing but <em>bullshit</em>, just like the warnings issued by her manager had been. They had just wanted to bully her and, now that she was down, Director Jeong was eager to kick her for the last time. “With the help of Senior Manager Park’s advice, I have also improved my overall efficiency. I take my work very seriously and I would never –“</p><p>Director Jeong slammed his fist on the desk, startling Minji. She swallowed the rest of her objections, defeated. “Are you implying that I’m not being truthful, miss Song?” he asked, voice rising and face reddening with rage. It sounded more like a threat than a question.</p><p>Minji <em>knew</em> he wasn’t truthful and he knew she knew, but… she couldn’t prove it. The director could always come up with a different reason, call upon her manager, or simply make her life so difficult that she would be forced to quit. <em>He</em> didn’t need any real proof behind his accusations. Minji doubted she was the first unlucky university student to have been subjected to such daily abuse by Director Jeong and Senior Manager Park, yet nobody dared do anything about it.</p><p>Knowing that she herself was going to just walk out the door and let the two men find another poor soul to torment made her feel worse.</p><p>The silence dragged on for what felt like forever. Finally Director Jeong seemed to calm down, picked up the letter from his desk and offered it to Minji for the final time. “Your termination letter, miss Song. Dismissed.”</p><p>Minji’s bottom lip trembled as she fought back tears. No way she was going to give him the satisfaction of making her cry in front of him. “Yes, sir,” she muttered and took the letter without even looking at it. She was about to turn on her heels and storm out of the poorly ventilated room until she remembered the paper stack she was holding. She dropped the documents on the director’s desk, startling the greying man, and left before he could start yelling at her.</p><p> </p>
<hr/><p> </p><p>After shedding a few tears in the women’s restroom and calming down, Minji pulled herself together and went back to her lonely cubicle. She felt overwhelmed as soon as she turned on the computer and opened her work email. There were four days worth of unaswered e-mails waiting for her, in addition to a list of urgent assignments given by her manager. <em>Go over this data. Contact these people. Verify this statement. I expect your monthly report by tomorrow. </em>It was going to be a very long last week at work.</p><p>Time moved slow that day. She kept glancing at the clock and every time it felt like the hands had barely made progress. Kind of like her. A part-time paid internship at a marketing agency had been a dream come true for a university student like Minji. It was actually something related to her psychology major, instead of burger flipping, and it was going to give her valuable work experience in a field she could imagine herself working in for a long time. The reality had been closer to a nightmare from the beginning.</p><p>She frequently felt anxious thinking about all the times her manager had berated her for small mistakes or made-up reasons, not to mention his vulgar and derogatory flirting whenever they were alone or when he’d had one drink too many at after-work gatherings. The worst part was that Minji still had no idea why Mr. Park had singled her out and started bullying her, or why Mr. Jeong had joined in the effort, or why her co-workers shunned her. Though she had a hunch that her co-workers’ attitude had everything to do with desire to avoid becoming the superiors’ next target and nothing to do with her specifically.</p><p>Unfortunately, Minji’s mood had only worsened by the time she got home. She couldn’t stop thinking about all the ways her life was totally, irreversibly screwed. Director Jeong really could not have picked a worse time to fire her. Firstly, nobody would hire her ever again after hearing that she’d failed her probation period at one of the most distinguished marketing agencies in the country. Secondly, she was about to lose her room at the student dormitory where she lived; she’d already told the student residence manager that she would be moving out before the start of the new semester, foolishly believing that she could afford moving into a studio now that she had saved some money thanks to the internship. Now she would have to find a new place to stay without a job and without steady income.</p><p>Their small two bedroom suite had always been super cosy and neat thanks to Minji’s roommate. Now it was filled with Minji's moving boxes and felt more like a claustrophobic warehouse than a home. How two college students could accumulate so much stuff in just two years while living in such a cramped place was a mystery to Minji. Sure, some of the blame lay on her because she kept buying things that she’d forgotten she already owned, but a fair amount belonged to Jieun even though she was seriously the most organised person Minji had ever known. Maybe Minji had rubbed off on her.</p><p>“Jieun, you want pizza?” Minji called out for her roommate while taking off her shoes. There was no answer, but she could clearly hear music coming from Jieun’s room, so at least she was home. Minji weaved her way through the boxes to her own room to change into something more comfortable. At least there was one positive to losing her job – she wouldn’t have to wear the stupid suit, and she would be grateful for each suitless day ever after.</p><p>After changing into a loose t-shirt and denim jeans, she knocked on Jieun’s door and peeked in, phone already in hand and ready to make their usual order from their favourite pizzeria. Jieun was completely engrossed in her textbooks by the looks of it. She was sitting in an armchair by the window, back towards the door, and flipping through the pages of a massive book that Minji recognized from their cognitive psychology course.</p><p>The room was incredibly neat; the bed was made, there was not a speck of dust in sight, and all the books were color-coordinated on the shelf. Minji’s room had probably never been that neat, not even when she had just moved into the apartment.</p><p>“Earth to Jieun, do you want pizza or not?” Minji teased since her roommate still didn’t seem to notice her, a smile tugging at her lips despite her gloomy mood. Jieun had become a good friend in the last two years. She was, in fact, the only real friend Minji had in this city and they had met by coincidence when they had been assigned roommates. It was proof that luck had been on her side at least once.</p><p>However, ever since Jieun had found a lovely girlfriend some months ago, their lengthy late-night conversations, movie nights and drinking sessions at the bar down the street had unfortunately become few and far between. To be fair, Minji had also been super busy with her part-time work on top of her studies.</p><p>Minji’s voice was finally enough to snap Jieun out of her flow state and she looked over her shoulder in surprise. “Oh, sorry! I totally didn’t hear you come in. You didn’t catch another stomach bug, did you?” She kept glancing at Minji with a somewhat worried expression while putting away her books and notes. Understandable, considering that last week Minji had come home early, almost fainted from exhaustion and proceeded to throw up on the bathroom floor. Not one of her greatest moments.</p><p>“Nope. I got fired,” Minji replied with a shrug. Jieun squinted at her as if trying to decipher whether Minji was joking or not. “For real. I wish I was joking.”</p><p>“Oh no, that sucks,” Jieun said, a sympathetic expression on her face. What else was there to say? Minji’s eyes welled up with the tears that she’d been holding back the whole day.</p><p>Jieun got up and held out her arms invitingly. “Hug?”</p><p>Minji nearly clung to her friend, and Jieun wrapped her arms around her smaller body. Soon she was bawling her eyes out against Jieun’s shoulder while trying to explain what had happened and cursing her manager and director between sobs. Jieun simply listened and nodded and patted her back comfortingly until Minji had run out of tears.</p><p>In the end Minji felt a little better mentally and a lot worse physically. Her eyes and throat hurt from all the crying. Wiping her puffy eyes just smeared black eyeliner on her face and hands. Jieun took one look at her and offered her a few tissues, which Minji accepted gratefully. “Sorry for getting your shirt wet,” Minji said, noticing that the front of Jieun’s top was pretty much soaked.</p><p>Jieun just smiled brightly. “Don’t worry about it. I’m going to be a professional shoulder to cry on, remember?”</p><p>Minji laughed weakly at Jieun’s joke. “And you’ll be the best in business.”</p><p> </p>
<hr/><p> </p><p>Later that evening they had filled their bellies with delicious pizza and Minji was feeling better. Jieun even cancelled plans with her girlfriend just to keep her company. It was one of the nicest things anyone had ever done for Minji, though Jieun assured her that it was nothing.</p><p>“You should look at that game tester position I told you about,” Jieun said. Minji was sprawled out on Jieun’s bed and browsing Instagram on her phone, too tired and full to do anything else. Jieun, on the other hand, had taken it upon herself to wash the dishes. The familiar clink of plates and glasses was really soothing to Minji. “Seriously, it sounded good, and you’re always playing games anyway. I think you’d be great.”</p><p>“Mm, I’ll look at it,” Minji assured. She’d only glanced at the email this morning, but then again, she hadn’t known back then that she would be looking for a new job only a few hours later. A comfortable silence fell between them as Jieun moved on to drying the dishes. Exhaustion after the day’s stressful events was starting to set in for Minji and her eyes kept closing though she tried hard to stay awake. <em>I’ll just rest a little. Then I’ll start looking for a job.</em></p><p>Minji startled awake. It felt like she’d only closed her eyes for a second, but her phone had slipped out of her hand and fallen onto the bed, and Jieun was sitting at her desk, head in her hands, instead of standing at the sink. “Uhh, how long did I sleep?” Minji wondered with a yawn and groggily reached for her phone to check the time. Jieun turned to look at her. Her smile never reached her eyes, and that woke Minji up faster than a bucket of ice water could have.</p><p>“What’s wrong?” she asked warily and sat up.</p><p>Jieun sighed. She looked nervous; she was wringing her hands and avoiding eye contact, something Minji had never seen her do. Jieun was the cool and collected type of woman who never seemed to lose her composure, no matter the situation, so it was hard for Minji to imagine anything making her this antsy. She braced for some really bad news.</p><p>“This is probably not the right time to bring this up, but it can’t be helped,” Jieun said quietly and finally met Minji’s eyes, which made her burst into laughter. Minji raised her eyebrows at the unexpected reaction. After Jieun’s laughter died down, she continued, “I’m sorry, you just look so distressed. It’s nothing that serious!”</p><p>“Oh thank god,” Minji replied in relief, putting her right hand over her heart in a rather theatrical manner to lighten up the mood. “I was about to be like, who do I have to yell at for making you sad, and you know I don’t like confrontations but I’d do it for you.”</p><p>“Thank you,” Jieun said with a smile that looked just a little bit brighter than before. Minji was glad to see that she’d managed to cheer up her friend despite whatever it was that weighed on her. “Anyway… Promise me you won’t get angry, okay?”</p><p>“Angry?” Minji repeated and curiously tilted her head. “Why would I be angry?”</p><p>“Well… I know this is going to make things more difficult for you…” Jieun had gone back to hand wringing. “I’m moving back to my hometown in a few weeks.”</p><p>For the second time that day Minji felt like the rug had been pulled out from under her. Losing a job and a friend all in the same day was way too much. She could not catch a break, could she? She wanted nothing but to sink into the bed and stop existing for a while so she wouldn’t have to deal with reality. Unfortunately Jieun was looking at her with sad eyes, and Minji could never disappoint her dearest friend, even if she was more like a passerby in her roommate’s life these days. It was ok that way.</p><p>“Okay,” she said, clearing her throat. “Of course I’m not angry at you, silly. Why, though?”</p><p>Jieun was clearly relieved. “I want some time off from studying and my father asked if I needed a job since there was this open position at his company, so… I decided that I would take the job and save some money to travel with Sungmi. We’ve got a lot of plans.”</p><p>Jieun looked really happy whenever she spoke of her girlfriend. They were adorable together, all lovey-dovey and mushy, and Minji was genuinely happy for her friend. If she wanted to move on from student life, Minji wasn’t going to let her feel bad about it.</p><p>“That sounds great,” Minji said and really meant it. Looking for a new job and a cheap apartment and dealing with her only friend moving away was going to be a pain, of course, but she couldn’t be annoyed at Jieun for making the choices that she needed to make.</p><p>It was just bad timing.</p><p>It was just… life.</p><p>“I hope everything works out for you. Just so you know, I expect a postcard from every country you guys visit on your trip around the world.”</p><p>“Oh? That would be cool,” Jieun said, laughing. “And don’t worry, I’ll still help you with job and apartment hunting.”</p><p>“Well, first things first,” Minji said with a cheeky smile and picked up a Switch controller from Jieun’s desk. “I challenge you to a race. The loser has to pay for the pizzas.”</p><p>“But you already paid for them, so what’s the point?” Jieun teased, knowing full well that she’d never beaten Minji at Mario Kart and that Minji wasn’t actually going to make her pay for the food. She plopped down onto the bed next to Minji, poking her to get her to make more room. Minji grinned at her roommate and handed her the other Joy-Con.</p><p>She was really going to miss moments like these, but perhaps it was time for her to learn to let go of things and people and embrace the unknown.</p><p> </p>
<hr/><p> </p>
<p></p><div class="window">
  <p class="topbar"> </p>
  <p class="textfield"><b>From:</b> donotreply@magenta.co.kr</p>
  <p class="textfield"><b>To:</b> songminji@sky.ca.kr</p>
  <p class="textfield"><b>Subject:</b> [Application] Game Tester</p>
</div><div class="ebody">
  <p>Miss Song,</p>
  <p>Thank you for taking the time to apply for our position. We appreciate your interest in Magenta Studios. We will review all applications as soon as possible. The chosen one will be contacted directly by phone.</p>
  <p>Human Resources Team<br/>
Magenta Studios</p>
  <p>
    <em>This is an automated message. Please do not reply.</em>
  </p>
</div><p> </p>
<hr/><p> </p><p>“I’m going to die from stress,” Minji mumbled and let her head fall against the window by her work desk with a thud. It was the last lunch break of her short-lived career as a part-time marketing assistant and she was sitting in the office, alone as usual, and staring out the window like a moody teenager. It was raining – fitting for her mood and a blessing after the unbearable heatwave.</p><p>Minji knew that she wouldn’t be able to wrap up everything like she wanted to. It was going to be a problem for the unlucky employee that would have to pick up where she left off. Well, not her fault that Senior Manager Park had, once again, given her too much work. Though she was sure that they would lay the blame on her regardless of the impossibility of Mr. Park’s requests and… she didn’t actually want to make life hard for her successor.</p><p>“I hate it here,” she kept mumbling to herself. It felt like she was about to actually lose her mind. She had sent so many applications and called so many potential workplaces in the last week that she’d lost count already, in addition to contacting dozens of landlords in search of an apartment. She was no closer to fixing her life than she’d been a week ago. Her career dreams were slipping through her fingers like sand and she had no idea how to stop it.</p><p>She fished her phone out of her bag discreetly and checked the notifications. Just a bunch of useless pop-ups from games and social media apps. No text messages, no emails, no unaswered phone calls. Minji sighed and placed the phone on the desk next to her untouched lunch. The takeaway salad she’d picked up from the cafeteria downstairs actually looked delicious this time. She had no appetite these days, but she forced herself to eat anyway. She was already stressed out enough, she didn’t need the additional stress of being hangry all the time.</p><p>Her phone started vibrating.</p><p>Minji picked it up at lightning speed, hope blooming in her chest. <em>Unknown.</em> No caller ID. She quickly swiped up to take the call and peeked over her cubicle wall to check if there were people nearby. Only a few other employees were present, thankfully, and it was her last day anyway so she didn’t care all that much about Mr. Park catching her on the phone. That was the excuse they had used to fire her, wasn't it? He could yell at her all he wanted and tomorrow she’d be out of here for good.</p><p>“Hello?” Minji answered calmly as she sat back down at her desk.</p><p>“Hello, is this Song Minji?” a pleasant male voice inquired.</p><p>“Yes, speaking.”</p><p>Her heart was beating way too fast. Could it be that her luck was actually turning around?</p><p>“Oh good, I was worried you wouldn’t pick up,” the man said, relief audible in his voice. “I’m calling on behalf of Magenta. Congratulations, you have been chosen!”</p><p><em>Chosen?</em> Minji racked her brain trying to remember where she had heard the name Magenta before. She had sent a <em>lot</em> of applications to all kinds of companies… They kind of blurred together. She should have been better prepared for situations like these. It would be embarrassing to admit that she didn’t know what this call was about. “Um, chosen…?”</p><p>“Yes, as the game tester,” the man said, now sounding slightly uncertain. “Are you not interested?”</p><p>“I’m definitely interested!” Minji replied hurriedly, excited. She had the missing puzzle piece and it was all coming back to her now. She had put the game studio out of her mind as soon as she’d clicked <em>send</em> on the application form; no reason to get her hopes up when she had zero experience with game testing or development. Evidently she hadn’t needed to be so pessimistic.</p><p>“I’m so happy to hear that. I’m the game developer, by the way. It would be an honor if you decided to play this little game that I made.”</p><p>Minji got the feeling that he was being sincere. It was kind of flattering that they had chosen her for the role even without any real qualifications, and the developer seemed really nice. It was hard to contain her excitement.</p><p>“Thank you for getting in touch with me,” Minji said as professionally as she could. “I would be happy to discuss your offer, um…” She faltered at the end as she realised that the developer had never introduced himself, so she had no idea how to address him.</p><p>The developer didn’t seem to notice. “Oh, right. Let me tell you about the app. It’s a messenger game and the concept is chatting with good-looking guys while uncovering hidden stories, amusing stories… It will stir your imagination! All you need to do is play the game and tell me your honest opinion. What do you think? Don’t you think it’ll be fun?”</p><p>“Sounds like fun,” Minji agreed. Her heart almost came to an abrupt stop when she spotted Mr. Park storming into the office. She turned nervously to face the other way, pretending to be preoccupied with some documents on her desk and trying to appear as small as possible to avoid Mr. Park’s eyes. She had thought that she didn't care if she got yelled at for taking personal calls, but seeing how angry Mr. Park was, she didn't feel as confident anymore. She needed to end the call as soon as possible.</p><p>Thankfully Mr. Park wasn't interested in her; she saw him rush past her cubicle towards Director Jeong's office. He didn't even knock on the door before opening it, which was... unheard of. Disrespecting the director like that was a sure way to get your head chewed off. “What is this about firing her - why did you -" was all that she could hear before the door closed behind Mr. Park. Uh-oh. It sounded like there was going to be trouble at the office and Minji really didn't want to be on the receiving end of either man's wrath because of their quarrel. She was certain that they would love to take it out on her if they spotted her on the phone.</p><p>The developer just kept going, “The characters you’ll be chatting with are not real people, just AI. You’ll join a fundraising organisation as the party coordinator, in charge of inviting guests. You’ll find out everyone’s secrets by chatting with them and answering their phone calls and… well, you’ll understand much faster by playing than listening to all this. Of course, all of this is highly confidential since this is brand new technology, so you’ll have to stay here at the studio. You don’t have to worry about it! Staying here is free and all-inclusive! I promise you’ll have fun.”</p><p>“Alright,” Minji replied, trying to come up with a polite way to end the call. Wasn’t there going to be an interview? Were they going to hire her just like that? Where was <em>here</em>? She didn’t have time to ask questions, however. In all honesty, she didn’t have much of a choice anyway. She hadn’t received any other job offers and she would have to start living in hotels or something if she didn’t find a place to stay soon. There wouldn’t be much left of her savings after that.</p><p>She was ready to stay anywhere if she didn’t have to pay for it.</p><p>“I accept your offer.”</p><p> </p>
<hr/><p> </p><p>
  <em>Meet the people who will love you forever.</em><br/>
<em>Attend the endless party.</em><br/>
<br/>
<em>This is an invitation to paradise.</em><br/>
<br/>
<em>Magenta,</em><br/>
<em>where everyone is happy...</em>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Thanks so much for reading!</p><p>English is not my native language, so please feel free to point out any mistakes I make or give constructive feedback on my writing. (I would be really, really happy to have a beta reader, but unfortunately I don't know anyone in the fandom lol.) It probably goes without saying, but the email addresses are just something I came up with and not meant to represent any real person or organisation.</p><p>In general, please leave a comment (like, even just a emoji or something), a kudos, bookmark the fic, etc! I'm a bit worried that the fandom might not be active anymore ┐('～`;)┌ So a kudos and a comment would make me really happy! &lt;3</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Chapter 2</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Thank you for the comments and kudos so far! ♡( ◡‿◡ ) I was so excited to see that people actually read the prologue hehe. Here's the next chapter! We get to meet Seven, too!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>It was strange, seeing her room devoid of any signs that she had ever lived there. Only the bed and the desk remained – both property of the dormitory – in the same spots as when Minji had first moved in. She remembered the moment her parents had finally left after helping her carry all the boxes and hugging her a thousand times for goodbye; she had looked out of the window and seen the campus park behind the dorm building and the students lounging there among the trees and the flowerbeds. At that exact moment, she had decided that going to university was the beginning of something great.</p><p>And it had been! The past two years had easily been the best years of her entire life. She was studying something she loved at a prestigious private university, living in a beautiful and vibrant city, sharing her space with a real-life angel called Jieun, going on dates with cute college guys, and staying out late whenever she wanted to. She’d never felt happier or more free. (The cost of such happiness and freedom was sky-high, just like her student debt, but she wanted to believe it was worth it.)</p><p>Her excitement about soon starting the autumn semester of her third year of university was slightly dampened by knowing that Jieun wouldn’t be there. No more mutual panicking about exams or running for coffee together between classes. It wasn’t that Minji had no other friends or acquaintances at uni. She wasn’t unpopular or reclusive. She just really clicked with Jieun from day one and so she’d ended up spending the most time with her roommate, passing up opportunities to get to know anyone else. By now, everyone had their close-knit group of friends, and Minji wasn’t part of any of them.</p><p>Then again, she’d never had a large group of friends she could hang out with, even before moving across the country. Growing up, she’d spent most of her time with her parents and late grandmother, helping them with chores around the house, or studying, reading and playing games by herself. And of course with her brother before… well, before everything had gone wrong.</p><p>Speaking of her parents… Minji checked her phone, a bit afraid of what she’d see. 3 missed calls, all from mom. <em>Could have been worse.</em> Her finger hovered over the return call button, hesitating. If there was something that her mother excelled at, it was making phone calls incredibly long and tedious. There was a reason why she had all calls and notifications from her muted. Sighing, Minji tapped the call button and brought the phone to her ear.</p><p>Mom answered the phone before it could even ring, which led Minji to believe that she’d been about to call her for the fourth time that morning. “Hello?”</p><p>“Hi, mom,” Minji said, trying her best to sound cheerful despite the urge to hang up immediately. She leaned on the windowsill and watched the raindrops trickling down the glass and the ginkgo trees just outside the window swaying in the wind. Focusing on something other than the call helped ground her in the moment. “Sorry I couldn’t answer earlier. I’m a bit busy right now, waiting for my ride.”</p><p>“How can you be too busy to answer your mother’s calls if you’re just standing around waiting?” mom retorted, clearly annoyed.</p><p>“I can’t talk long,” Minji replied, ignoring the jab. She had over two decades worth of experience dealing with her mother; through trial and error she had reached the conclusion that it was easier to just let the things she said go in one ear and out the other. Another technique that she’d perfected over the years was getting straight to the point. “Why did you call me?”</p><p>Jieun peeked into the room, a questioning look on her face. Minji gave her soon-to-be ex-roommate a strained smile and a nod, something that had come to mean <em>yeah it’s my mom and she’s being difficult again</em> <em>but don’t worry about it.</em> Jieun understood the unspoken message and disappeared back into her own room. Minji would much rather have spent her last dorm-living moments joking around with Jieun than talking with mom. She began to regret returning the call.</p><p>“I don’t need a reason to call my own daughter. Did you remember to check that one closet, the one in the corner of your room – you know the one?”</p><p>“Yes, mom,” Minji said, rolling her eyes. Leave it to her mother to take care of her move from the other side of the country. “I went through everything multiple times, there’s nothing here.”</p><p>“And you’re sure that it’s a reliable company? Remember what happened to Mrs. Kim’s youngest son, he never did get paid for –“</p><p>“Mom,” she interrupted emphatically before her mother could launch into an hour long lecture about the untrustworthiness of employers and the naivety of youth in these modern times. “<em>I’ll be fine</em>. It’s not good for your health to worry so much.”</p><p>There was a long silence on the other end of the line. Minji could almost see her mother pacing back and forth with the phone, fuming silently. “Fine,” mom finally said, obviously unhappy that Minji was so quick to rebuff her. “I suppose that’s it, then.”</p><p>“Okay,” Minji replied tensely. “I have to go now. I don’t know when I’ll have time to call again, so don’t worry too much. Alright, mom?”</p><p>“Alright. Goodbye,” mom said and ended the call first. No doubt she was going to go complain to dad about their ungrateful daughter, and dad would call her and tell her how disappointed he was that she didn’t listen to her mother, and Minji would promise to give mom a chance and the cycle would begin again. It was an endless loop.</p><p>Minji took a few deep breaths before pushing herself off the windowsill and throwing her phone into her backpack. Talking with mom rarely put her in a good mood, but she’d been particularly pushy and overbearing ever since Minji had told her that she’d got fired. She shouldn’t have mentioned it at all. The whole experience had been both shameful and frustrating, and all she wanted to do was forget about it, but knowing her mother, she would keep bringing it up for years to come.</p><p>In a way, Minji could acknowledge and appreciate that her mother worried for her and wanted her to succeed in life, but the whole reason why she had wanted to move to Seoul was to get away from her domineering family. Well, not the <em>whole</em> reason, she had also wanted to get into a good university and make a career for herself. <em>But</em> her family had definitely played a significant part in her wanting to become independent far away from them.</p><p>How could one short phone call be so exhausting?</p><p><em>Enough moping around,</em> Minji told herself. She wasn’t going to allow mom to ruin her day or her previous workplace to ruin her career. She was moving on, starting a new job, enjoying the summer and all that. She’d given away or sold most of her stuff in a manner of days; the rest were either safely locked away in a small storage space she’d rented or in her suitcase, ready for the trip to Magenta’s headquarters. It was a fresh start.</p><p>The suitcase was almost too heavy for her to carry alone, even though all she was bringing along was clothes, cosmetics, some light reading (well, psychology textbooks, so not that light), a Switch and a laptop. She huffed as she dragged the suitcase into the hallway to wait for pickup. The door to Jieun’s room was open and Minji saw her sitting on the floor, surrounded by handwritten notes and pastel-coloured highlighters, black hair pulled back in a neat ponytail and an amused smile on her lips.</p><p>“You said it’s only for a few weeks. How much stuff do you really need?” she laughed, watching Minji struggle with the case.</p><p>“I may have packed too much clothing,” Minji admitted, looking at her bulging suitcase. She’d had to sit on it to zip it up. “But you know, I like to feel prepared.”</p><p>“Wait a sec. I have something for you,” Jieun said as she stood up and went to her desk, opening the top drawer. She came back holding a small present and offered it to Minji. “Here.”</p><p>Minji took the gift, turning it around in her hands and admiring the wrapping. There was a pink bow on top and a hand-drawn card attached to it, with the words<em> to Minji, the best roommate ever</em> in Jieun’s pretty handwriting and a little cat sticker at the end.</p><p>“It’s so cuuuute,” she cooed. She almost felt bad opening and ruining the picture-perfect present, but Jieun was impatiently gesturing for her to get it over with already. Minji still did her best to open the gift without damaging the wrapping paper too much. She folded it neatly to keep it as a memento.</p><p>The actual gift was a small, metallic panda keyring. “Oh my god,” she whispered. It was possibly the cutest thing Minji had ever seen. She brought the keyring to her eye level, marveling at all the little details like the blush on the panda’s cheeks, its cute smile, and the way light reflected off the keyring’s glittery coating. “I love it.”</p><p>Jieun looked pleased. “I’m glad.”</p><p>Minji’s heart swelled with love for her friend as she looked at Jieun and saw her somewhat embarrassed smile. Why was she embarrassed? She really was an angel. Minji pulled the other woman into a tight hug, the realization that their time together was up only now really dawning on her. She wasn’t sure when she’d be back in Seoul, but Jieun would almost certainly have moved away by then. Now she felt bad that she hadn’t thought to buy a present for Jieun.</p><p>“The last two years here were amazing,” Minji said, voice shaking from the strain of trying not to cry. “Thank you, Jieun.”</p><p>“Oh no, you’re making me cry too,” Jieun replied. They pulled apart and sure enough, Jieun’s grey eyes were also filled with tears. She wiped them away and laughed. “Thank <em>you</em>, Minji. I never had a boring day with you around.”</p><p>Their touching goodbyes were cut short by a text message alert from Minji’s phone. She rummaged around in her backpack until she got hold of the phone. It was the developer who had called her and arranged everything so that she wouldn't have to travel to the headquarters by herself.</p>
<p></p><div class="phone">
  <p class="messagebody"><br/>
<span class="time"><b>Today</b> 10:46 AM</span><br/>
<span class="text"><span class="hide"><b>Developer: </b></span>Your driver should arrive any minute now.</span><br/>
<span class="greply"><span class="hide"><b>Minji: </b></span>Thank you ^^ I'll be waiting.</span><br/>
<span class="text"><span class="hide"><b>Developer: </b></span>I can't wait to have you here. Everything will be complete once you arrive. See you soon ^^</span><br/>
<span class="greply"><span class="hide"><b>Minji: </b></span>I'm excited too! See you!</span>
  </p>
</div><p>“I guess my ride will be here soon,” Minji said with a wistful sigh. That was it. She took one last look at her old room before closing the door. It locked with a loud click. She’d already given away her key; she wouldn’t see that room or the view from its window ever again.</p><p>She was getting teary eyed again. She blinked the tears away and gave Jieun a small smile. Jieun didn’t say anything, just followed her to the entryway and watched quietly as Minji put on shoes and checked her backpack to make sure that she had everything. Wallet, phone, charger, earphones, a bottle of water, some snacks, a light jacket in case she got cold, the panda keyring. She was as prepared as she could be.</p><p>“Call or text me when you get there, okay?” Jieun pleaded. She looked nervous and sad; Minji hated to see her like that.</p><p>“I will,” she reassured with a smile. “I promise I’ll keep in touch. You’ll do the same, right?”</p><p>“Promise.”</p><p>It was time to leave. They hugged one more time and Jieun helped her carry the suitcase to the elevator. As the elevator doors closed to take her to the ground floor, Minji waved at Jieun and she waved back. Then it was just Minji with her backpack and suitcase, her distorted reflection on the steel doors, and the anxious butterflies in her stomach.</p><p> </p>
<hr/><p> </p><p>As soon as she stepped outside, she was approached by a man wearing black sunglasses and a black suit, holding a black umbrella to shield himself from the rain. Minji stayed under the small roof that covered the dormitory entrance, realizing that she should have brought an umbrella as well. Rain battered the stone paving around the entrance with more force than she had anticipated.</p><p>“Are you Minji?” the man asked from a respectful distance. She nodded. “I’ve been ordered to pick you up.”</p><p>He came closer and picked up her suitcase with ease. As they walked to the black car nearby, he held the umbrella over her head instead. He didn’t seem to mind that his hair and suit jacket got wet as a result. Befitting his gentlemanly appearance, he opened a rear door for her and waited as she climbed into the back seat of the car with her backpack before closing the door and lifting her suitcase into the car’s trunk.</p><p>Minji wasn’t sure what she had expected, but she felt out of place sitting in the leather-covered back seat of such an expensive car. Her clothes – a pink blouse, a beige plaid skirt and ballet flats – felt too casual for the occasion, even though she had put a lot of thought into her outfit, wanting to appear put together and smart but not like a try-hard. The developer had assured her that she could wear whatever she wanted, but seeing how conservatively the driver was dressed, she regretted not bringing any business professional clothes with her.</p><p>The man climbed into the driver’s seat and turned to face her. He was still wearing the sunglasses, even though the sun was covered with rain clouds so dark that there was no need for them. From what she could see of his face, she estimated that he was in his late twenties or early thirties, though he appeared much older in every other way, from the way he spoke to how he carried himself.</p><p>“The location we’re going to is confidential. Can you put on this sleep mask?” he requested, handing her the mask in question. Right. She’d already forgotten; the developer had mentioned that the location couldn’t be revealed and that she wasn’t allowed to see the way there.</p><p>“Yes, thank you,” she said and took the sleep mask cautiously, turning it over in her hands a couple of times. It was made of silky material and had an adjustable headband. At least it felt soft and comfortable.</p><p>“Thank you for being considerate,” the driver said, turning back to the wheel and starting the car. Minji wondered briefly what he would have done if she had refused to comply. She fastened her seatbelt and pulled the eye mask over her eyes just as they started moving.</p><p>At first she tried to follow where they were going, keeping track of the turns and stops, but eventually she lost count and had to give up. The car ride was incredibly boring; the radio wasn’t on, and the driver didn’t seem to want to talk. He kept muttering to himself every now and then, though, but Minji couldn’t make out the words. Sitting in complete darkness, she could only listen to the car’s engine, the sounds of traffic, and the rain patter on the windshield.</p><p>Even the traffic was getting quieter by the minute. Minji figured that they had got off the highway and were now driving on a road that wasn’t used much since she couldn’t hear any cars driving past. The silence and the car’s swaying from side to side were making her sleepy. She kept nodding off, waking up to every pothole and turn. Soon she had completely lost track of time. She could’ve slept for a few minutes or an hour, it was all the same to her.</p><p>Eventually they came to a stop and she was woken up by the driver letting her know that she was allowed to take off the mask. They were parked at an old gas station; the driver wanted to fill up the car, and meanwhile she could have a short restroom and lunch break. She seized the opportunity with gratitude, stretching her stiff arms and legs while she took a look around. The ground was completely dry; it hadn’t rained here, so they had to be pretty far from Seoul by now.</p><p>The rusted gas pumps didn’t look like they should’ve been in use anymore, but the scenery… It was breathtaking; the station was located on a cliff overlooking a lake surrounded by old oak trees bigger than any Minji had ever seen. The reflection on the serene water almost looked like a real upside-down forest, and the sky was bright blue with white cotton candy-like clouds. It was magical.</p><p>The drive had been long and boring, but the view more than made up for it. Minji couldn’t think of a better place to enjoy lunch. As she breathed in the fresh mountain air and watched the clouds slowly pass by, she could feel the stress of the last few weeks melting away. She took a photo of the view and sent it to Jieun, in part to gloat about the great scenery and in part to reassure her friend that everything was ok.</p><p>The gas station was still in business, even though it looked abandoned from the outside. The inside was surprisingly clean and almost like a small convenience store. Minji was delighted to find that they sold pre-packaged sushi and canned iced coffee, both of which she<em> loved</em>. As she went to the checkout, however, she was stopped by the gruff driver.</p><p>“I’ll pay,” the driver said, not leaving room for negotiation. Slightly confused, Minji handed over her lunch and waited as he paid for both the gas and the food with cash. She wouldn’t have minded paying for her own lunch, but of course it was very courteous of Magenta to take care of all her expenses in any way related to her job.</p><p>They ate outside, mostly in silence. Minji had tried some small-talk, but it had quickly become clear that her driver wasn’t a talkative person. Instead, she texted with Jieun to keep herself entertained.</p>
<p></p><div class="phone">
  <p class="messagebody"><br/>
<span class="time"><b>Today</b> 01:54 PM</span><br/>
<span class="text"><span class="hide"><b>Jieun: </b></span>that's sooo pretty</span><br/>
<span class="greply"><span class="hide"><b>Minji: </b></span>right??</span><br/>
<span class="text"><span class="hide"><b>Jieun: </b></span>how was the ride?</span><br/>
<span class="greply"><span class="hide"><b>Minji: </b></span>if I stop replying, know that I died from boredom</span><br/>
<span class="greply"><span class="hide"><b>Minji: </b></span>you'll have to press charges against this driver guy. I still don't know his name.</span><br/>
<span class="text"><span class="hide"><b>Jieun: </b></span>haha that bad?</span><br/>
<span class="greply"><span class="hide"><b>Minji: </b></span>yes ㅠ_ㅠ I'm gonna jump out of the moving car if I have to wear the sleep mask again</span><br/>
<span class="text"><span class="hide"><b>Jieun: </b></span>just where are you going? ;;</span><br/>
<span class="greply"><span class="hide"><b>Minji: </b></span>I'm convinced this is like, some sort of secret government project</span><br/>
<span class="text"><span class="hide"><b>Jieun: </b></span>scary ;;</span><br/>
<span class="greply"><span class="hide"><b>Minji: </b></span>maybe I'll come back with superpowers or something ^-^</span><br/>
<span class="text"><span class="hide"><b>Jieun: </b></span>haha hope it's something useful</span><br/>
<span class="text"><span class="hide"><b>Jieun: </b></span>invisibility would be cool</span><br/>
<span class="greply"><span class="hide"><b>Minji: </b></span>Jieun!! I didn't know you were so raunchy ㅇ_ㅇ</span><br/>
<span class="text"><span class="hide"><b>Jieun: </b></span>what??? //_//</span><br/>
<span class="text"><span class="hide"><b>Jieun: </b></span>I don't know what you're talking about and I don't want to know @_@</span><br/>
<span class="greply"><span class="hide"><b>Minji: </b></span>^.~</span><br/>
<span class="greply"><span class="hide"><b>Minji: </b></span>looks like lunch break is over, we're leaving!</span>
  </p>
</div><p>According to the driver, they were only halfway to their destination. Now that she didn’t have to wear the sleep mask anymore, she didn’t mind that they drove very slowly along the narrow mountain roads. It meant she had plenty of time to admire the landscape and that she did, barely taking her eyes off the view from the car’s window. She’d spent so much time in the city that she had almost forgotten how beautiful such wild nature could be.</p><p>About two and a half hours after leaving the gas station the driver asked her to put on the sleep mask again. Minji was disappointed but did as she was told. She was getting restless. How far were they from civilization by now? They had been driving for at least five hours, most of it in the middle of nowhere. Minji hadn’t seen other cars or people since the gas station and, apart from the gravel road, there didn’t seem to be anything manmade around. Why would a game studio be located so far from everything? Most IT-oriented companies wanted an office among the hustle and bustle of big cities, right?</p><p>“Did you drive all this way to the city to pick me up this morning?” Minji asked. She wasn’t surprised that the driver chose to ignore her question. They hadn’t talked much, but he had been very gentlemanly, opening doors for her and all. Maybe he was shy?</p><p>Finally the car pulled to a stop. “We have arrived,” the driver said. Minji’s ears perked up. Her first instinct was to bring her hands up to her face and take off the mask, but the driver’s next words stopped her in her tracks. “Please keep the mask on for a little while longer, miss. Mr. Ray is here.”</p><p>It was unnerving to not see what was happening as she could hear footsteps outside the car. Minji wrung her hands nervously as she waited for more instructions. It was one thing to just sit in the car with a sleep mask on, another entirely to know that there were people around that she couldn’t see. The door on her right opened, and she sensed someone standing near.</p><p>“Welcome. I’ve been waiting. It wouldn’t have been an easy decision to come here… Thanks for trusting me.”</p><p>Minji turned her head towards the male voice and smiled uncertainly. It was awkward to have a conversation with someone she couldn’t see. “Um, thank you. Who are you?”</p><p>“Someone who’s been anxiously waiting for you. Don’t you recognize my voice? We talked on the phone. My name is Ray.”</p><p>She did now; it was the previously unnamed game developer that had called her. After that first call, they had only communicated through emails and text messages so she hadn’t grown that accustomed to his voice. She gave a friendly smile. “Oh. I do recognize you now, Mr. Ray. I’m Minji.”</p><p>“Please just call me Ray. Thanks again for coming all this way. I really want to show you around, I prepped this and that while waiting for you,” Ray said excitedly.</p><p>Minji reached for her mask again, assuming that it was finally okay for her to take it off since Ray wanted to show her around. Holding a conversation like this was not only awkward, but also strangely humiliating. She really didn’t like meeting her employer for the first time like this.</p><p>“Oh, don’t take off the mask yet. You can’t take it off until we reach your room.”</p><p>Minji dropped her hands back to her lap, disappointed. “Why?”</p><p>“There’s a lot of secrets here. If you happen to learn something you’re not supposed to, it might endanger you. I don’t want that. Don’t be alarmed. You’ll do fine as long as you do what I tell you to do.” Ray sounded completely serious and it creeped her out a little. She’d been told that it was all highly confidential, but she didn’t remember any mention of possible danger. What the hell kind of game studio was this?</p><p>“You’re scared because you can’t see, aren’t you?” Ray said sympathetically. Minji wanted to say that it was only partly true since she was also scared of <em>endangering herself</em> but kept quiet out of courtesy. “I’ll hold your hand on your way down from the car.”</p><p>Minji took the offered hand, grateful for the kind gesture. It was a fairly tall car, clearly designed for rough terrain, and there was a slight drop as she got off. She was certain that she would’ve stumbled if Ray hadn’t firmly held her hand and steadied her. “Thank you.”</p><p>“You’re thanking me…?” Ray wondered aloud. “No, thank <em>you</em>. Shall we go? I’ll escort you.”</p><p>When she made a small gesture behind her, wanting to take her backpack with her, Ray simply said, “Don’t worry, someone will bring your luggage to your room.”</p><p>He seemed sincerely happy to have her there and was as friendly and respectful as he had been on the phone which eased some of Minji’s worries. She held onto his hand as he led her along a gravel path. Behind them, she could hear the car door closing and the trunk being opened, presumably by the driver. Hopefully she would get another chance to thank him for driving her safely all the way here.</p><p>“Watch the steps,” Ray warned kindly as they made their way up a short flight of stairs to what Minji assumed was the main entrance. It was quiet indoors save for the clicking of their shoes on the floor. Minji tried to imagine what kind of a building it was based on the soundscape, but the only words that came to her mind were big and echoey, which could have described any office building.</p><p>“You have no idea what a relief it was when you said you’ll help,” Ray said, breaking the silence. They stopped walking and she heard a familiar beep of an elevator. Ray had probably pressed a call button.</p><p>“Oh? Didn’t you have other applicants?” Minji asked, turning her head slightly towards Ray as they waited for the elevator to arrive.</p><p>“We did,” Ray replied. “But I wanted you. If you had said no, we would have had to delay the release… or it could have been a disaster… Thankfully we’ll never know.”</p><p>Minji smiled. “I’m glad to hear that you liked my application.”</p><p>Ray let out a pleasant <em>hmm</em>. His voice was really nice. Another beep and the whoosh of automatic doors opening signaled that the elevator had arrived and they stepped in. Minji felt a small tug at the bottom of her stomach when the elevator started its ascent; standing on such a fast elevator with her eyes covered was a weird experience and she felt unsteady on her feet. Thankfully it also meant that it only took a few seconds to reach the correct floor.</p><p>Ray led her to a room and let go of her hand. “We’re here. I’ll remove your mask.”</p><p>Minji stiffened when he got close. The brush of his fingers on her hair was uncomfortably intimate as he took off her mask, but at least she was finally rid of it. The room was blindingly bright, however, and she had to quickly close her eyes to protect them from the sudden abundance of light.</p><p>“Ahh, so bright,” she complained as she squinted at the man in front of her, curious to see what he looked like. Ray was… well, more eccentric than she had expected. His clothes were extremely formal and looked like something one would see a prince wearing in a Disney movie. His hair was dyed white, highlighting how pale he was. Weren’t all creative types eccentric, though? Minji supposed that he didn’t look that weird compared to some celebrity artists she had seen on the news.</p><p>“Hi,” he greeted with a warm smile. He was also younger than she had expected, maybe around her own age. He had to be a very successful person to have his own game studio and such an ambitious game in the works at his age.</p><p>“Hi,” Minji said, smiling back. “Nice to meet you face-to-face.”</p><p>“Yeah,” he replied. He came across as relaxed and composed, like someone who knew his worth and was easy to talk to at the same time. He gestured around. “This is your room. I tried my best, but let me know if there are any inconveniences.”</p><p>Minji took a proper look at the room. In the middle of the room were two ornamental armchairs with a table between them; the large bed by the back wall looked like the most comfortable bed ever with its soft mattress and silky bedspread; at the other end of the room there was a wardrobe and a door. Late afternoon sunlight filtered in through the giant windows and gave the room a beautiful golden hue.</p><p>“It’s beautiful,” she gasped, admiring all the little details. It was like a five-star hotel room! She had got really lucky with this job.</p><p>Ray looked pleased at her compliment, but his delighted expression soon turned more serious. “You’re free to roam this floor, but for other floors you’ll have to tell me first. You know why, right?”</p><p>Minji studied his face curiously. She wondered what kind of secret technology they were developing here – there were more restrictions than she’d encountered in any other job. Maybe it was connected to the military or something and she would actually be testing some super advanced artificial intelligence like in science fiction movies. Maybe her theory of a secret government project hadn’t been so far off. It was actually kind of exciting.</p><p>“It’s confidential?” she suggested.</p><p>“Correct,” Ray said approvingly. “You’ve learned quickly. I don’t hate smart people… I get the feeling that you’ll pull this off quite well.”</p><p><em>What kind of people </em>do<em> you hate</em>, Minji wanted to ask but decided against it. Ray explained the game to her; she would join a private messenger of a charity fundraising organisation with the help of a hacker she, or her character, knew nothing about, assume the role of a party coordinator and try to find out any secrets that the AI characters had while inviting guests for a party. A complicated but intriguing setting.</p><p>“You can’t ever reveal the truth,” Ray ordered gravely. “Your current location, how you got the app, the fact that they’re AIs… You must keep the secrets to the end.”</p><p>Minji nodded slowly. “Because they’re AIs?”</p><p>Ray smiled at her charmingly. “Yes. AIs are learning all the time, so you have to be careful. If you tell them about the real world… it’s game over, and you’ll have to start again from the beginning.”</p><p>The rest of his explanation was about the actual gameplay – talking to the characters, inviting guests to the party, et cetera. Minji listened carefully to every word, determined to do a good job. Their agreement was such that she would tell Ray her honest thoughts about the game, the good and the bad, and every secret that the characters told her. She would report every bug in as much detail as possible. If the characters didn’t accept her right away, she would tell them that someone called Rika sent her to hold the party. She would do her best to invite as many guests as she could.</p><p>“Leave it to me,” Minji said confidently, eager to make an impression on her new employers.</p><p>“Thanks to your confidence, I’ll work even harder making this app,” Ray promised. He took a cellphone out of his pocket and offered it to Minji. As she took the phone, she was reminded that she’d left her own in the car. Hopefully whoever was tasked with handling her luggage would bring them to her soon. She had to let Jieun know that she had arrived safely and that everything was going great.</p><p>“The game is already installed,” Ray explained. “You can’t make normal calls or send texts with this phone, though. It’s just for playing the game.”</p><p>“Alright.” Minji fiddled with the phone. It was brand new, all shiny and scratchless.</p><p>“I wish we could talk more, but I have to go now,” Ray said with regret. He took a few steps towards the door, but turned around one more time to flash a mischievious smile before leaving. “Give it your best, coordinator.”</p><p>She was alone.</p><p><em>I guess I should get settled in</em>, she mused and left the new phone on the table while she took off her shoes and peeked behind the door that she’d noticed earlier. It led to a spacious bathroom with a toilet, a shower and a bathtub. She whistled at the luxury of having such a fancy bathroom all to herself. She’d shared one with Jieun for the last two years and got used to waiting a lot as Jieun took forever doing her hair and makeup, so this was a huge upgrade. Minji opened some of the drawers under the sink and found essentials like shampoo, hand soap, a hairdryer and towels. It seemed like Magenta had provided everything she needed.</p><p>There was a knock at her door. Minji startled and hurried back into her room, calling out, “Come in!”</p><p>The door opened and her grim driver came in, carrying her suitcase in one hand and her backpack in the other. He was <em>still</em> wearing the sunglasses. In fact, Minji hadn't seen him take them off even once. “Your luggage, miss,” the unnamed man simply said and paused. It took Minji a few seconds to realize that he was waiting for her instructions on where to put her belongings.</p><p>“Oh, um, you can just leave them there,” Minji stammered, flustered and gesturing in the general direction of the armchairs. She had never been pampered like this; nobody had ever carried her bags for her, she’d never stayed in such a fancy room, and she had never had <em>a personal driver</em> drive her somewhere. The man nodded curtly and left the bags by the table.</p><p>“Thank you, and thanks for the ride, too,” she said quickly, remembering her manners. The driver looked just slightly past her and nodded again before leaving without a word. Minji sighed and slumped down onto one of the chairs, suddenly exhausted even though all she had done that day was sit in a car. For some time she just stared ahead, thinking about everything that had happened that day, starting from her call with mom and ending with her alone in a strange place. She couldn't have pointed at her current location on a map - she hadn't even seen the exterior of the building she was in. Minji wondered if there were many programmers, artists or game testers employed at the same place and if she'd get to meet them. Surely Ray wasn't creating the game all alone?</p><p>Her eyes landed on the phone that still lay on the table, and she picked it up carefully. It unlocked with just a swipe of her thumb, revealing that there was only one icon on the home screen.</p><p>
  <em>Mystic Messenger.</em>
</p><p>She tapped the icon.</p><p> </p>
<hr/><p> </p><p>Sometimes hacking was really boring.</p><p><em>Super </em>dull.</p><p>Staring at the monitor reading code, writing code and running scripts, repeated ad infinitum, paled in comparison to fast-paced action films in which hacking always looked really cool with all those pretty 3D graphics, flashing lines of code, pop-up windows and progress bars. The handsome and ridiculously jacked secret agents in those movies always stopped the villain, got the girl and lived happily ever after. He loved watching those types of movies if only to laugh at them. It was a shame that Vanderwood didn’t find them anywhere near as funny.</p><p>How much time had passed since his last break? It was already evening and he hadn’t even noticed; it was surprisingly hard to keep track of time without windows. Seven sighed and lifted his glasses to the top of his head to let his strained eyes rest for a while. There was nothing for him to do at the moment, anyway, as he was just waiting for a program to finish cracking a file of encrypted passwords he could then use to access exploitable user accounts. The decryption could take a few minutes, or it could take longer depending on the complexity of the passwords, but he would find the weakest link eventually.</p><p>“I’ll be back, baby,” Seven muttered to his computer as he got up and stretched. The joints in his shoulders popped in a very satisfying way and he craned his neck from side to side for good measure. “Ahh, that feels good.” Now that he had snapped out of his hyperfocused state, he realized just how hungry and thirsty he was. Not that surprising, considering that he had woken up at 9 am after being, in essence, unconscious for 12 hours straight, and he hadn’t had time for breakfast or lunch or dinner.</p><p>There was no real food in his kitchen, of course. It was Vanderwood who usually handled re-filling his fridge and pantry since Seven couldn’t be bothered to go shopping and ordering groceries with delivery to his actual house was out of the question, but the older agent had been gone on a mission related to their current assignment for a few days now. Even Seven's oversleeping was Vanderwood's fault, really; if he had been there, he would have refused to let him sleep for more than the standard seven hours and even that was kind of a stretch.</p><p>Because of Vanderwood’s absence, Seven had sadly run out of instant noodles yesterday, so a bag of chips and a can of Dr. Pepper had to do. What else could a guy ask for? Carbs, fat, salt and caffeine – the four cornerstones of a balanced and healthy diet! He plopped down onto the sofa with his lunch slash dinner and checked the RFA messenger. Good timing, too, since he got to witness a miracle worthy of God7; everyone, V included, was logged in.</p><p>The messenger was pretty quiet these days. It was more like a shared diary where each of them could monologue about mundane stuff going on in their lives (except for Seven, he mainly used the messenger to tease poor Yoosung). Sometimes Jaehee logged in to try and reach Jumin when he refused to answer her calls, and sometimes Zen shared his workout selfies which Seven saved and distributed forward through the Tripter bot… but none of it felt <em>real</em> or <em>important</em> like when Rika was still alive.</p>
<p></p><div class="phone">
  <p class="messagebody"><br/>
<span class="time"><b>707 has entered the chatroom.</b><br/>
05:36 PM</span><br/>
<span class="rgrouptext">707</span><br/>
<span class="sevreply"><span class="hide"><b>707: </b></span>can't believe my eyes ★.★</span><br/>
<span class="sevreply"><span class="hide"><b>707: </b></span>everyone's logged in?!</span><br/>
<span class="grouptext">V</span><br/>
<span class="vtext"><span class="hide"><b>V: </b></span>Hello, Luciel.</span><br/>
<span class="sevreply"><span class="hide"><b>707: </b></span>good to see you V!!</span><br/>
</p>
</div><p>The conversation quickly turned to Jumin’s bestseller book and how “full of it” it was according to Zen. Seven chuckled at the familiar banter, throwing in a few jokes about the book while shoving chips into his mouth. He was so hungry that the salty sweet honey chips tasted like something an angel had bestowed upon him straight from heaven.</p><p>When was the last time he ate properly, anyway? He put the phone down and made some calculations in his head as he opened the can of soda and took a gulp from it. He’d eaten a cup noodle last night before passing out, right? Or was that the day before? He hadn't left the bunker for almost a week; time had become meaningless and the days blurred together.</p><p>Maybe it was time for him to go for a ride. That would cheer him up. With a sigh, he picked up the phone again.</p>
<p></p><div class="phone">
  <p class="messagebody"><br/>
<span class="grouptext">Yoosung★</span><br/>
<span class="ytext"><span class="hide"><b>Yoosung★: </b></span>Woohoo boo I so don't wanna study~ ^^</span><br/>
<span class="grouptext">Jaehee Kang</span><br/>
<span class="jatext"><span class="hide"><b>Jaehee Kang: </b></span>Everything will pass by if you just roll with it.</span><br/>
<span class="jatext"><span class="hide"><b>Jaehee Kang: </b></span>^_^</span><br/>
</p>
</div><p>So they had gone back to talking about Yoosung’s studies. Seven scrolled up to catch up with the conversation and almost choked on his soda. There, hiding among Zen's protests at Jumin's book sequel, was a tiny little thing he had missed the first time around.</p>
<p></p><div class="phone">
  <p class="messagebody"><br/>
<span class="time"><b>Minji has entered the chatroom.</b><br/>
</span></p>
</div><p>Was he actually hallucinating from being alone for so long? It was impossible for an outsider to be in their chatroom. Yet no matter how many times he scrolled back and forth, the small notification stayed the same. There was someone unauthorized logged in, quietly observing their conversation while everyone else remained oblivious to their presence.</p>
<p></p><div class="phone">
  <p class="messagebody"><br/>
<span class="rgrouptext">707</span><br/>
<span class="sevreply"><span class="hide"><b>707: </b></span>?</span><br/>
<span class="sevreply"><span class="hide"><b>707: </b></span>??</span><br/>
<span class="sevreply"><span class="hide"><b>707: </b></span>???</span><br/>
<span class="sevreply"><span class="hide"><b>707: </b></span>O_O</span><br/>
</p>
</div><p>He didn't know what else to say as he sprinted to his workstation, chips and soda spilling over the floor. No matter. He could deal with that later. Pulling up the desktop version of the app on his computer confirmed that there was a newly created user profile by the name of Minji logged into the messenger. It was not just his imagination. Someone had actually<em> managed to infiltrate an app he'd made</em> and not just any app, but specifically the one that was super secretive and not publicly available. He was supposed to be the only one with access to the APK file.</p><p>What the hell was going on? He kept an eye on the chatroom while going through the logs looking for any signs of strange activity. The profile had been created at 17.43 and the user had immediately joined their chatroom. There was nothing suspicious that he could immediately see going on with the messenger’s server, but he would have to go through everything in detail and figure out what exactly had happened.</p>
<p></p><div class="phone">
  <p class="messagebody"><br/>
<span class="grouptext">Minji</span><br/>
<span class="mtext"><span class="hide"><b>Minji: </b></span>Hi!</span><br/>
<span class="grouptext">Jumin Han</span><br/>
<span class="jutext"><span class="hide"><b>Jumin Han: </b></span>Hi</span><br/>
<span class="jutext"><span class="hide"><b>Jumin Han: </b></span>...is not something we would say.</span><br/>
<span class="grouptext">Jaehee Kang</span><br/>
<span class="jatext"><span class="hide"><b>Jaehee Kang: </b></span><i>Identify yourself.</i></span><br/>
</p>
</div><p>Oh. There was an email he'd totally missed in his spam box. <em>This Is Not The End</em>, what an ominous title. A nervous laugh escaped his lips as he clicked it open. <em>We know you were the one who hacked us… expect to hear from us soon.</em> Right, he had played a little prank on his fellow hackers not too long ago, just for his own amusement. By bragging about iron tight security, the group had practically sent him a direct invitation to hack their website. He’d done them a favor, really, since he had revealed a vulnerability in their security measures.</p><p>"But are they this good…?" Seven muttered to himself. He would just straight up die from embarrassment if those hackers had found a way around his defenses. So far it was the only clue he had, but somehow he had a feeling that this didn’t have anything to do with his silly pranks. He explained the situation to the other members nevertheless, hoping that the intruder would trip up and reveal something about themselves.</p>
<p></p><div class="phone">
  <p class="messagebody"><br/>
<span class="grouptext">ZEN</span><br/>
<span class="ztext"><span class="hide"><b>ZEN: </b></span>What in the world have you been doing?!</span><br/>
<span class="rgrouptext">707</span><br/>
<span class="sevreply"><span class="hide"><b>707: </b></span>T__T</span><br/>
<span class="grouptext">Jaehee Kang</span><br/>
<span class="jatext"><span class="hide"><b>Jaehee Kang: </b></span>In conclusion, there's a high chance that this has to do with Luciel's private affairs...</span><br/>
<span class="grouptext">Minji</span><br/>
<span class="mtext"><span class="hide"><b>Minji: </b></span>Exactly.</span><br/>
<span class="rgrouptext">707</span><br/>
<span class="sevreply"><span class="hide"><b>707: </b></span>whoohoo lol? you, me, hacking match, wanna give it a go?</span><br/>
</p>
</div><p>The situation was equally thrilling and frightening. He needed to focus and get to the bottom of this asap for RFA’s sake, but where to even start? He had never had someone break into one of his systems like this, completely out of the blue. Thank God he was smart enough to keep everything RFA-related disconnected from his other systems, but he would still have to make sure that the agency stuff or his personal server hadn’t been touched. What a mess.</p>
<p></p><div class="phone">
  <p class="messagebody"><br/>
<span class="grouptext">V</span><br/>
<span class="vtext"><span class="hide"><b>V: </b></span>I didn't think someone could actually break into an app that Luciel made.</span><br/>
<span class="rgrouptext">707</span><br/>
<span class="sevreply"><span class="hide"><b>707: </b></span>yesssss it's my first time too</span><br/>
<span class="sevreply"><span class="hide"><b>707: </b></span>so actually, I'm slightly...</span><br/>
<span class="sevreply"><span class="hide"><b>707: </b></span>excited...</span><br/>
<span class="sevreply"><span class="hide"><b>707: </b></span>♡.♡</span><br/>
</p>
</div><p>Seven’s heart was racing from the adrenaline flooding his body. He had put a <em>lot</em> of effort into creating the RFA messenger and, even if he did say so himself, the app’s security was top-notch. It was some of his finest work. The hacker had to be extremely capable, which already narrowed down the list of suspects quite a bit. If there was someone as good as him… or even better… Seven felt like his head was about to explode from excitement. His boredom was a distant memory, replaced by a hunger for answers to all his questions.</p><p>Who was Minji? How did they get their hands on the messenger? Why had they done it? What were they planning? How had he missed whatever loophole they’d used to get in?</p><p>Was he just arrogant? Had he been sloppy with the latest updates?</p><p>“Ugh, that’s not important right now,” he huffed. Time to get back to work. He could have a crisis about letting down V and everyone else later on his own time, <em>after</em> fixing this mess. He had to make sure that the hacker wouldn’t be able to do any real damage.</p><p>He needed something to identify the intruder with, like their location. He had a hunch that the hacker(s) had been smart enough to put some effort into hiding themselves, though, since they had been good enough to infiltrate an app he had designed. Seven pulled up all the information he could get from the device this mysterious user Minji was using.</p><p>All the traffic was likely being routed through an encrypted server, no surprise there. IP address wouldn’t help him at the moment since it definitely wasn’t genuine. One thing he quickly noticed was that he couldn’t access the GPS data even though the app should have been able to retrieve the phone's exact location. The device had clearly been secured against everything that Seven could have used to track down the location or the identity of the hacker.</p><p>Well. He hadn’t expected this to be easy, after all. He would have to get creative and that would take time.</p><p>“What I need… full back-up, gonna dissect it later,” Seven muttered to himself as he activated his failsafes, prompting all his systems to go into emergency mode and begin backing up everything in preparation for completely wiping out the system. Rebuilding would be a pain in the ass, but it was the only way to get rid of the hacker for sure. “And then… nuke it from orbit.”</p><p>Talking to himself helped him remain calm and cool-headed. “I can do this,” he reassured himself, turning his attention back to the chatroom.</p>
<p></p><div class="phone">
  <p class="messagebody"><br/>
<span class="grouptext">Yoosung★</span><br/>
<span class="ytext"><span class="hide"><b>Yoosung★: </b></span>hey. Where are you from, Minji?</span><br/>
<span class="grouptext">Minji</span><br/>
<span class="mtext"><span class="hide"><b>Minji: </b></span>From another planet~</span><br/>
<span class="rgrouptext">707</span><br/>
<span class="sevreply"><span class="hide"><b>707: </b></span>*O*</span><br/>
<span class="sevreply"><span class="hide"><b>707: </b></span>no wonder you felt so familiar</span><br/>
<span class="sevreply"><span class="hide"><b>707: </b></span>are u from my hometown?!</span><br/>
<span class="grouptext">Minji</span><br/>
<span class="mtext"><span class="hide"><b>Minji: </b></span>Maybe~</span><br/>
</p>
</div><p>He couldn’t help smiling at the intruder’s intentionally vague reply. At least this Minji person had a sense of humor. He was probably the only one who appreciated it, though, since none of the other members seemed amused by their banter.</p>
<p></p><div class="phone">
  <p class="messagebody"><br/>
<span class="grouptext">Jumin Han</span><br/>
<span class="jutext"><span class="hide"><b>Jumin Han: </b></span>Minji, I'll change the question.</span><br/>
<span class="jutext"><span class="hide"><b>Jumin Han: </b></span>For what purpose did you log into this messenger?</span><br/>
<span class="grouptext">Minji</span><br/>
<span class="mtext"><span class="hide"><b>Minji: </b></span>I was told to host a party.</span><br/>
</p>
</div><p>Staying calm suddenly became a lot harder as Minji’s revelation shook him to the core. He could easily understand people coming after him, but if this had nothing to do with his private affairs, why target the RFA? To be honest, Seven could immediately come up with several reasons; money, information and political motives were at the top of the list. It could be for the hacker’s personal gain or a job commissioned by a third party. Something about the situation bothered him, though.</p><p>The hacker didn’t really stand to benefit from revealing themselves in the chatroom. They could have done a lot more damage by staying hidden. Since they had been able to sneak in without being spotted, they likely would have been able to sneak out without leaving traces for him to follow. It didn’t seem like an accident, either. The profile had definitely been created on purpose.</p><p>His brain was overheating. “Argh,” Seven groaned and shook his head to clear it. “Focus. Focus.”</p>
<p></p><div class="phone">
  <p class="messagebody"><br/>
<span class="grouptext">Jumin Han</span><br/>
<span class="jutext"><span class="hide"><b>Jumin Han: </b></span>Sounds like you've heard that from someone.</span><br/>
<span class="rgrouptext">707</span><br/>
<span class="sevreply"><span class="hide"><b>707: </b></span>u didn't come here for me?</span><br/>
<span class="grouptext">Jaehee Kang</span><br/>
<span class="jatext"><span class="hide"><b>Jaehee Kang: </b></span>If you really did come in here knowing about the party, you're even more suspicious.</span><br/>
</p>
</div><p>Jumin and Jaehee paid attention to the right things, as expected.</p>
<p></p><div class="phone">
  <p class="messagebody"><br/>
<span class="rgrouptext">707</span><br/>
<span class="sevreply"><span class="hide"><b>707: </b></span>V</span><br/>
<span class="grouptext">V</span><br/>
<span class="vtext"><span class="hide"><b>V: </b></span>Hmm?</span><br/>
<span class="rgrouptext">707</span><br/>
<span class="sevreply"><span class="hide"><b>707: </b></span>though it's currently difficult to uncover that person's identity,</span><br/>
<span class="sevreply"><span class="hide"><b>707: </b></span>we can make-do by cutting off access</span><br/>
<span class="sevreply"><span class="hide"><b>707: </b></span>if you want, V.</span><br/>
</p>
</div><p>Everyone would lose access to the RFA messenger until he figured out what had happened and rebuilt the system, but it had to be done unless they wanted a complete stranger taking over the whole server indefinitely. V only had to give the word and he would do it without hesitation.</p>
<p></p><div class="phone">
  <p class="messagebody"><br/>
<span class="grouptext">Minji</span><br/>
<span class="mtext"><span class="hide"><b>Minji: </b></span>Am I going to be blocked? I'm here because someone called Rika sent me!</span><br/>
<span class="grouptext">Yoosung★</span><br/>
<span class="ytext"><span class="hide"><b>Yoosung★: </b></span>WHAT????</span><br/>
</p>
</div><p>
  <em>Rika.</em>
</p><p>Rika who had been dead for six months.</p><p>There was no way.</p>
<p></p><div class="phone">
  <p class="messagebody"><br/>
<span class="grouptext">V</span><br/>
<span class="vtext"><span class="hide"><b>V: </b></span>Minji.</span><br/>
<span class="vtext"><span class="hide"><b>V: </b></span>I don't know how you know Rika, but she's not with us anymore... in this world...</span><br/>
<span class="vtext"><span class="hide"><b>V: </b></span>Luciel, I have a favor to ask.</span><br/>
<span class="rgrouptext">707</span><br/>
<span class="sevreply"><span class="hide"><b>707: </b></span>should I cut off this guy's access?</span><br/>
<span class="grouptext">Yoosung★</span><br/>
<span class="ytext"><span class="hide"><b>Yoosung★: </b></span>NOO WAIT!!!</span><br/>
<span class="ytext"><span class="hide"><b>Yoosung★: </b></span>This person might know something about Rika!!</span><br/>
<span class="ytext"><span class="hide"><b>Yoosung★: </b></span>Aren't you guys even curious?!?!</span><br/>
</p>
</div><p>Seven was. Damn it, sometimes he was too curious for his own good. The logical side of his brains was screaming at him to make the hacker disappear, to stop them from saying any more nonsense that was most definitely just a clumsy attempt at social engineering. Obviously effective against someone like Yoosung, but clumsy nonetheless. Logic was being drowned out by his instincts telling him that there was something more going on, something that he couldn’t figure out yet but that was <em>important</em>.</p>
<p></p><div class="phone">
  <p class="messagebody"><br/>
<span class="grouptext">V</span><br/>
<span class="vtext"><span class="hide"><b>V: </b></span>No.</span><br/>
<span class="vtext"><span class="hide"><b>V: </b></span>I wasn't going to ask Luciel to deny Minji's access.</span><br/>
<span class="vtext"><span class="hide"><b>V: </b></span>Luciel, I want to make a call to Minji.</span><br/>
<span class="vtext"><span class="hide"><b>V: </b></span>Can you connect me through?</span><br/>
</p>
</div><p>He could, but he wasn’t sure it was a good idea. Seven nervously fiddled around with his phone, though he was looking at the chatroom on the computer monitor. It made sense that V wanted to find out who this Minji person was, probably even more than Seven did, considering that they had casually dropped Rika’s name into the conversation and implied that they knew her. But Rika couldn’t give instructions from behind the grave. It seemed really suspicious that a person who had been told to host fundraising parties was only now joining their messenger, if they had received the information straight from Rika.</p>
<p></p><div class="phone">
  <p class="messagebody"><br/>
<span class="rgrouptext">707</span><br/>
<span class="sevreply"><span class="hide"><b>707: </b></span>umm... it's not impossible...</span><br/>
<span class="sevreply"><span class="hide"><b>707: </b></span>really?</span><br/>
<span class="sevreply"><span class="hide"><b>707: </b></span>should I connect?</span><br/>
<span class="grouptext">V</span><br/>
<span class="vtext"><span class="hide"><b>V: </b></span>Yes. There's something I want to ask Minji.</span><br/>
<span class="grouptext">Minji</span><br/>
<span class="mtext"><span class="hide"><b>Minji: </b></span>I was only told to host a party.</span><br/>
<span class="grouptext">V</span><br/>
<span class="vtext"><span class="hide"><b>V: </b></span>Yes. I feel that is what Rika wants to happen. That is, if Rika really did send you, Minji.</span><br/>
</p>
</div><p>Seven tapped his fingers on the keyboard, deep in thought. He had a really, <em>really </em>bad feeling about the whole situation. Of course, it was V’s decision to make, not his. It was clearly written in the Association’s Rules: all matters of consultation shall be subject to the final decision of the Representative V. If V thought that this mysterious Minji person had been sent by Rika to continue her legacy, there was nothing any of them could do about it except trust his judgment.</p><p>Seven trusted V. It just wasn’t in his nature to trust cybercriminals, for good reason.</p>
<p></p><div class="phone">
  <p class="messagebody"><br/>
<span class="grouptext">V</span><br/>
<span class="vtext"><span class="hide"><b>V: </b></span>I'm thinking of accepting Minji as a new member of RFA, if Minji agrees.</span><br/>
<span class="vtext"><span class="hide"><b>V: </b></span>But since Minji's identity has not been identified, we will have to see.</span><br/>
<span class="grouptext">Jaehee Kang</span><br/>
<span class="jatext"><span class="hide"><b>Jaehee Kang: </b></span>It seems a bit abrupt...</span><br/>
<span class="grouptext">Jumin Han</span><br/>
<span class="jutext"><span class="hide"><b>Jumin Han: </b></span>I agree. Accepting a stranger as a new member...?</span><br/>
<span class="grouptext">Jaehee Kang</span><br/>
<span class="jatext"><span class="hide"><b>Jaehee Kang: </b></span>It would have been better if we knew exactly what kind of person Minji is.</span><br/>
<span class="grouptext">V</span><br/>
<span class="vtext"><span class="hide"><b>V: </b></span>I am fully aware of that.</span><br/>
<span class="vtext"><span class="hide"><b>V: </b></span>So Luciel, I want you to keep searching about Minji.</span><br/>
<span class="rgrouptext">707</span><br/>
<span class="sevreply"><span class="hide"><b>707: </b></span>um...</span><br/>
<span class="sevreply"><span class="hide"><b>707: </b></span>is it okay, Minji?</span><br/>
<span class="grouptext">Minji</span><br/>
<span class="mtext"><span class="hide"><b>Minji: </b></span>Don't - I'm not a weird person &gt;.&lt;</span><br/>
<span class="grouptext">Yoosung★</span><br/>
<span class="ytext"><span class="hide"><b>Yoosung★: </b></span>Minji T_T</span><br/>
<span class="ytext"><span class="hide"><b>Yoosung★: </b></span>He’ll find out about u even if u refuse. T_T</span><br/>
<span class="rgrouptext">707</span><br/>
<span class="sevreply"><span class="hide"><b>707: </b></span>may b...</span><br/>
<span class="sevreply"><span class="hide"><b>707: </b></span>A background check is compulsory if we want to host the party with your help, Minji!</span><br/>
</p>
</div><p>Of course he would do a background check even though Minji told him not to. It just meant he’d feel a bit more guilty digging up private information behind their back if they turned out to be a good person, but it wasn’t anything he hadn’t done before. It wasn’t happening soon anyway. He still had to figure out who Minji even <em>was</em> and that would probably prove to be quite a challenge. Seven wasn’t certain that V understood how difficult and time-consuming the task was.</p><p>If Seven was honest with himself, V’s quick acceptance of the situation was pretty weird. There had to be something he knew that he wasn’t comfortable sharing in the chatroom.</p>
<p></p><div class="phone">
  <p class="messagebody"><br/>
<span class="rgrouptext">707</span><br/>
<span class="sevreply"><span class="hide"><b>707: </b></span>rationally speaking</span><br/>
<span class="sevreply"><span class="hide"><b>707: </b></span>there is a simple solution - denying ur access</span><br/>
<span class="sevreply"><span class="hide"><b>707: </b></span>I'm not sure if such risk is necessary... T_T</span><br/>
<span class="grouptext">V</span><br/>
<span class="vtext"><span class="hide"><b>V: </b></span>Speaking of which, there is something I need to tell you. I'll call you right now.</span><br/>
</p>
</div><p>As soon as V left the chatroom, Seven’s phone rang. He swiped up to answer without even checking who the caller was, all while typing hasty goodbyes with one hand before logging off as well. He could still see the chatroom logs as admin, after all.</p><p>“V.”</p><p>“Hello, Luciel. How are things?”</p><p>Seven wanted to pace the room but didn’t dare leave his computer in case of another emergency. He was running every program that he believed might help with tracking down the hacker, but none of it had been any use yet. “I can’t get anything on this guy,” he sighed, not even trying to hide the frustration in his voice. “Guy. Gal. They left no tracks.”</p><p>V made a sympathetic and somewhat worried noise on the other end of the line. “I couldn’t even imagine… what kind of a person would manage that.”</p><p>“Exactly! This is not an ordinary hacker,” Seven said. He cradled the phone between his ear and shoulder to be able to type with both hands. V could probably hear the furious clacking sounds from his mechanical keyboard, but there was no background noise on V’s end. “Where are you now, anyway?”</p><p>“Out of the country,” came a fast reply. “I’m sorry I can’t be there when I’m needed. It’s what I wanted to tell you. I’m likely going to be unreachable from time to time.”</p><p>“No worries,” Seven said with a shrug. It wasn’t like V being physically present would have changed anything, but he hoped that V wouldn’t lose his phone reception for long periods of time like he had many times before. Seven paused his typing for a while as he thought over how to word his next question. “So… can you tell me what you know about this Minji person?”</p><p>V gave a short laugh. It was soft but humorless at the same time. “Quite possibly less than you, Luciel.”</p><p>“Hmm,” Seven hummed, not entirely convinced that it was the whole truth, but V always had a good reason for leaving things unsaid. “Alright. Don’t you think it’s too early to accept them as a new member, though? We know nothing about their identity. We don’t even know if they’re just one person or a group of hackers.”</p><p>“Yes, I understand your concerns,” V said. As usual, Seven got the impression that he was choosing his words carefully. “For now, I'd like you to continue your research on their identity, and leave everything else to me. I have a feeling that Minji… is a good person who sincerely wishes to help us with the party. And I trust that you will uncover their real identity soon enough, Luciel.”</p><p>“A feeling, huh?” Seven repeated. He’d stopped typing altogether now and leaned back in his chair as far as it allowed. “Do you really think… that Rika is behind this?”</p><p>“That’s what I’d like to believe,” V replied, almost wistfully. “I don’t know how yet… but that’s what I’m planning to ask Minji when I call them.”</p><p>V was putting a lot of trust in a stranger’s words but then again, he had been the closest to Rika right before her death. <em>Rika… </em>Thinking about her still hurt. It had been six months and they were none the wiser regarding the circumstances of her suicide. It was obvious that V knew more than anyone else, but Seven was certain that he only wanted to protect them from the ugly truth of what Rika’s last moments had been like.</p><p>Seven actually preferred it that way. He wanted to remember a bright, happy Rika. He had seen and heard enough dark things to last several lifetimes; he didn’t need those details tarnishing the memory of one of his dearest friends.</p><p>“I’ll connect you two now,” Seven said and pulled up the messenger settings on his screen. Enabling a connection between V and Minji took a bit more fiddling than it should have, probably because the profile had been created by the hacker. He’d have to look into that later. “Done.”</p><p>“Thank you, Luciel. For all your hard work,” V said with sincerity.</p><p>“Pfft, don’t mention it,” Seven said, brushing the thanks aside. If he’d actually done his job well, they wouldn’t have been in this situation, so the praise felt undeserved. He continued more solemnly, “V… be careful. We don’t know what we’re dealing with here, and they might try and trace the phone call.”</p><p>“I appreciate your concern,” V replied. “I’ll make sure to be careful. Then… I’ll get going.”</p><p>“Let me know if you learn anything new. Talk to you later.”</p><p>“Yes. Goodbye.” And with that, V ended the phone call.</p><p>Seven sighed and slipped his phone into his hoodie pocket. No way he’d be able to continue agency work until he heard back from V. He quickly read through the chatroom log to see if there were any clues he’d missed, but the mysterious Minji had told them very little about themselves. Either they really were clueless about the gravity of the situation or they were putting up a very convincing front.</p><p>He desperately wanted to believe that it was all Rika's doing. He wanted to believe that somehow… she had arranged for a new party coordinator to join them. She must have been in so much pain, but she’d still wanted them to keep the RFA alive. She had cared more about everyone else than herself until her last breath.</p><p>Maybe Rika really was the missing link between them and Minji. Seven felt hopeful as he searched for Rika’s phone information from six months ago and compared it to Minji’s, but… they didn’t match. Of course they didn’t; V had told him that he’d found Rika’s phone soon after her death and that it was locked away in a safe location. If the phone had suddenly disappeared, V would have told him about it.</p><p>Seven was startled by the sound of the door to his bunker opening. A quick glance at the security feed confirmed that it was just Vanderwood. Finally. Seven rarely missed the older agent, but having an extra pair of hands and eyes around could come in handy at the moment.</p><p>”What the hell.”</p><p>Seven spun his chair around to face Vanderwood, a wide grin on his face. The agent was clearly annoyed, staring at the mess of chips and soda on the floor. ”Welcome back, Madam.”</p><p>”I risk my life for your stupid plans and <em>this</em> is what I come back to?” Vanderwood grumbled, taking off his coat and folding it neatly on his arm. Seven looked him over and was relieved to see that the agent was seemingly unharmed in spite of his complaints.</p><p>”You look fine to me,” Seven replied and turned back to his monitors. If he ignored Vanderwood, he might not pay as much attention to what he was doing – or not doing, namely agency work. ”I’m in the middle of something.”</p><p>”What, you’re not even interested in hearing how it went?”</p><p>”I already know how it went. You forget that I oversaw everything.”</p><p>”Yeah, yeah, but what about <em>my</em> point of view,” Vanderwood complained. He was one grumpy secret agent today. Seven stuck to his plan of just ignoring the guy and, after a while, heard him go into the kitchen and open the fridge and some cupboards in search of food. “I’m starving and the only thing you have in your fridge is soda?!”</p><p>“Leave Dr. Pepper alone!” Seven cried out.</p><p>“I wouldn’t drink that stuff if you paid me,” Vanderwood muttered as he came back into the room, now armed with a mop and a vacuum cleaner. “Seriously, how can you live like this? Just imagine how sticky and disgusting the floor’s gonna get if you just let it be. <em>You’re</em> disgusting. You never clean after yourself and I have to go and put my neck on the line <em>and </em>be your housekeeper or something –“</p><p>“Yeah, yeah,” Seven sighed, tuning out Vanderwood’s nagging. He put his headphones on and turned up the music volume to drown out everything else. Time to get serious.</p><p> </p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Thanks for reading! &lt;3 This chapter follows the original plot quite faithfully and borrows a lot of dialogue straight from the route prologue, but this shouldn't happen much from now on. Also... I am doing a minor in computer science atm but I'm nowhere near an expert in cybersecurity, so forgive me for inaccuracies haha.</p><p>Huge thanks to CodenameCarrot and La_Temperanza for their tutorial on how to mimic iOS style text messages on AO3. (The email template I used in the previous chapter was also made by La_Temperanza.) I took the workskin template and made some tweaks to get the messages to look a bit more like the MM texts. It should look ok even with the creator's style turned off. Let me know if you spot anything weird!</p><p>A penny for your thoughts? :)</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
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